TED, SOME IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

The topic of race always elicits an emotional charge, but it’s an important discussion to have if we’re serious about minimizing racism in our society.

Just about a month ago, TED released a talk called “The Case for Color Blindness” delivered by a young writer and independent podcaster named Coleman Hughes.

TED has grown into a prestigious organization which offers a free-thinking platform for diverse perspectives that challenge conventional thought. What happened next was counter to those principles.

TED delayed the release of Coleman’s talk while attempting to develop an appeasement strategy to avoid backlash. When TED finally released the talk months later, and just as suspected, there was a blow-back. Some viewed the talk as racist and others said it was hurtful. To mitigate the damage, TED then seemingly suppressed viewership by massive numbers.

Coleman’s position was rooted in the idea that we should treat people without regard to race, both in our personal lives and in our public policies. He further advocated that policies aimed at helping the disadvantaged should use class as a variable rather than race.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) is meant to level the playing field and give opportunities to minorities who are thought to be disadvantaged. While these programs may have been well intentioned in their inception, they’ve become highly politicized and ripe for profiteering.

This makes color-blindness an idea non-grata in today’s virtue-signaling society. Even though Coleman’s talk was based on the same foundational principles as many civil rights leaders, including those of Dr. Martin Luther King, who famously stated, “Judge not a man by the color of his skin, but the content of his character.”

What we’re seeing here is that TED, like many of our institutions, has been ideologically captured by a one-sided orthodoxy, which is counter to the very values they espouse. TED’s values are devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge - WITHOUT AGENDA. But those within the organization coalesce around the same opinion, magnify it, and then sell it to society rather than allowing real discourse.

It is unclear as to whether TED’s leadership has driven this agenda from the top. So often we see a groundswell gain moment from the bottom up and capture the culture from within.

As a leader, it's important to hold the line and adhere to the values of your company. When you bless the idea that features such as race, gender and identity carry the most weight, you make yourself vulnerable when appeals are made purely on these same features. That is when problems arise.

Here is the link to Coleman Hughes's TED talk. Decide for yourself.